Archive for the ‘Beau Boeckmann’ tag

I had no idea the Galpin guys (or, at least, Beau Boeckmann) were such Ed Roth enthusiasts. Not only did Boeckmann just buy the Orbitron and plans to restore it, but the Galpin collection also includes Roth’s Rotar, Globe Hopper and Great Speckled Bird. Press release follows:

VAN NUYS, Calif. (March, 2008) – A lost artifact from the pinnacle of the Custom era has been found, and is now in California for a complete and faithful restoration. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Orbitron, a far-out bubble-topped show car built in 1964 and lost shortly thereafter, was recently uncovered in northern Mexico, serving as a makeshift dumpster in front of an adult bookshop! Michael Lightbourn – nicknamed “the West Texas Scout” for his ability to find abandoned automotive treasures – spotted and rescued the fiberglass-bodied hot rod, which is missing its original acrylic bubble top and front end but is otherwise fairly complete, down to the original engine, chrome Astro wheels and most of its bodywork.

Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Motors acquired the car shortly after its recovery from Mexico, and plans to completely restore the car to its original condition at Galpin Auto Sports (G.A.S.) with input from Roth experts and employees that were part of the original build.

“Being a huge fan of Big Daddy Roth, it’s a great privilege and honor, not only to own this car, but to bring it back to its former glory,” Boeckmann says. “Our goal is to make sure this piece of automotive history receives the accurate restoration it deserves.”

Once the car is restored to its former glory, Orbitron will join other Ed Roth cars in the Galpin Collection, including the Rotar (Roth Air Car) that was built in 1962 and actually hovered, the Globe Hopper three wheeled custom, The Great Speckled Bird chopper, as well as Roth’s daily driver Honda CVCC, which is covered in pinstriping and paint from his days as a sign painter at Knott’s Berry Farm. Other Galpin Kustom Kulture artifacts include a replica of Grandpa Munster’s Dragula, a ’52 Lincoln Lido built by George “King of the Kustomizers” Barris, Kenneth “Von Dutch” Howard’s 1970 Toad, hand-made Von Dutch art, tools and firearms, and an XK140 Jaguar that was customized by “the Da Vinci of the garage.”